Karnataka - Raichur   

Upgrading of Yermarus airstrip likely to be delayed

Raichur: The proposed upgrading of the airstrip at Yermarus near Raichur city is likely to be delayed owing to a change in the design of the runway. As a result, the district administration has to acquire additional 150 acres of land around the airstrip.

The State Government in August last gave approval for the project at an estimated cost of Rs. 54 crore. Subsequently, it sanctioned about Rs. 4 crore and released Rs. 20 lakh to the district administration to take up the preliminary survey work to fix the boundary around the notified area of the airstrip.

The Karnataka Housing Board (KHB), which was appointed as the nodal agency to implement the work, was asked to take up the preliminary survey to identify possible obstructions around the airstrip and fence the boundary. Further, it was asked to take up the construction of the runway and the terminal complex, including the security building.

The technical wing of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) had given the go-ahead for the work during its inspection in June last year. But recently, it made some modifications to the design of the runway and the terminal complex facilitating the operation of ATR-72 type aircraft. It recommended that the district administration construct the runway and the terminal complex only after acquiring the additional land.

Now the district administration has asked the KHB to conduct a fresh survey to identify the additional land around the airstrip.

Sources said on Saturday that the fresh survey had been taken up by the KHB which was expected to submit its report to the district administration shortly. The work will be delayed by a few more months, the sources added.

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Upgrading of Yermarus airstrip likely to be delayed

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